Patti Labelle's Lite Cuisine Page 12
One 14-ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
One 12.5-ounce can chunk white chicken in water, drained
One 6-ounce jar sliced mushrooms, drained
One 10¾-ounce can reduced-fat condensed cream of mushroom soup
¾ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s Just 2 Good!
¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 1½-quart baking dish with fat-free cooking spray.
Layer the broccoli, chicken, and mushrooms in the prepared baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix together the soup, mayonnaise, broth or water, oregano, basil, thyme, chives, salt, poultry seasoning, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Spread the soup mixture evenly over the mushrooms, chicken, and broccoli layer. Sprinkle evenly with the bread crumbs. Coat the top with fat-free cooking spray.
Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.
Per Serving: 260 calories, 23 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber, 880 mg sodium
Diet Exchanges: 2 very lean meats, 2 fats, 1 vegetable, or 1 carbohydrate choice
Turkey and Broccoli Fettuccine in Herb Cream Sauce
Make 6 servings
8 ounces dried fettuccine noodles
4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 large head broccoli)
4 boneless, skinless turkey breast cutlets (about 1 pound)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces reduced-fat ricotta cheese
½ cup fat-free half-and-half
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
Cook the noodles according to the package directions, leaving out any butter or salt. Add the broccoli to the pasta water during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain and return the mixture to the pasta pot.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the turkey with ½ teaspoon of the salt, ½ teaspoon of the poultry seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper.
Coat a large deep skillet with fat-free cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink in the center, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board. When cool, cut into bite-size pieces.
In the same saucepan used to cook the turkey, combine the ricotta cheese, half-and-half, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, remaining ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning, and remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cooked chopped turkey breast and cook for 5 minutes.
Add a small amount of the sauce to the pasta and broccoli mixture and toss to moisten. Divide the pasta mixture among 6 plates and top with the turkey mixture.
Per Serving: 310 calories, 34 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 5 g dietary fiber, 710 mg sodium
Diet Exchanges: 3 very lean meats, 1 fat, 1 starch, 2 vegetables, or 2 carbohydrate choices
Scrumptious Sides’
Stove Top Sweet Potatoes
My mother was famous all over Philly for her candied sweet potatoes. During holiday season, our phone would ring off the hook with friends and neighbors calling to ask Chubby to make her signature dish for their Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. While, for me, nothing will ever match Chubby’s recipe, this one comes pretty close.
Makes 4 servings
1 tablespoon margarine
1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons brown sugar replacement, like Brown Sugar Twin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Melt the margarine in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sweet potatoes, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in the brown sugar replacement, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Cook 2 minutes more. Serve warm.
Patti’s Pointers: Sweet potatoes are loaded with health-boosting beta-carotene. To get the most beta for your buck, shop for sweet potatoes with rich orange flesh. The darker the flesh the more beta-carotene you’ll get. Also, have a little fat with your meal to help your body absorb this fat-soluble nutrient. The small amount of margarine in this recipe is just the right amount.
Per Serving: 200 calories, 3 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g dietary fiber, 340 mg sodium
Diet Exchanges: 1 fat, 2 starches, or 2½ carbohydrate choices
Zesty Zucchini Casserole
Makes 8 servings
1 tablespoon margarine
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 pounds zucchini (about 4 medium), halved lengthwise and sliced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup fat-free half-and-half
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
¼ cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
½ cup plain dry bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Melt the margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, salt, thyme, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Cook until the zucchini is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
In a cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the half-and-half. Pour over the zucchini and cook, stirring, until thickened and coating the vegetables, about 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and 3 tablespoons of the cheese. Scrape into a 2-quart baking dish. Mix together the bread crumbs and remaining tablespoon of cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the top.
Bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until the top is lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Patti’s Pointers: If you ever have leftover fresh zucchini, here’s another easy way to serve it. Fire up the grill and cut the zucchini lengthwise into slabs about ½ inch thick. Brush both sides of the slabs with a mixture of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill over a medium-hot fire until tender, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve as whole slabs (great in sandwiches too!) or cut into bite-size pieces and serve as a side dish. Absolutely delicious and sooooo simple.
Per Serving: 100 calories, 5 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 2 g dietary fiber, 280 mg sodium
Diet Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat, or 1 carbohydrate choice
People are always asking me why I’m so into health-related causes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the same question: “Patti, what’s this thing you have about supporting organizations that help sick people?” And they’re right. I do have a thing about it. You don’t want to know the number of health-related organizations I’ve been spokesperson for: the National Cancer Institute, the National Minority AIDS Council, the National Medical Association, to name just three.
Whenever people ask me why I do it, I wish I could give some grand, highfalutin’ answer. An answer that would make me sound virtuous without being self-righteous. An answer that would go something like:
I agree with whatever
wise soul said that service is the rent we pay for living in this world. It is so important, so crucial, for every single one of us to do something, however small, to help those in need. I’ve been so blessed in my life that I can’t not give something back. Not and look at myself in the mirror in the morning.
And while all of those things are true, the answer that comes closer to the straight-no-chaser truth is this: because, for me, the cause is personal. Real personal. Not some abstract mission or academic undertaking. When you lose all three of your sisters to cancer before they reach their forty-fourth birthdays, personal is the only thing it can be. When you have to allow doctors to amputate both your mother’s legs before you lose her to complications from diabetes, how could it be anything else? When you watch Alzheimer’s disease steal your daddy’s mind and then take him from this world, well, I’ll say it again: Personal is the only thing it can be.
“Get in where you fit in,” Chubby used to say. I fit in lending my support to top-notch health-related organizations because I’ve lost too many people I love too many times.
Which is why, when former U. S. Health and Human Services Secretary and Morehouse School of Medicine President Emeritus Louis W Sullivan and his lovely wife, Ginger, asked me to come to their home to say “thank you” to the many people who have supported the medical school I said, “Tell me what time to be there.” The mission of the school is near and dear to my heart: “To train primary care physicians to care for people living in underserved communities.” I know what you’re thinking: Say what? Let me translate: The school trains people to care for poor people who live in poor places. People who, once they become doctors, will take their little black bags and set up practices in communities where other doctors won’t. And you know why they won’t? You get three guesses and the first two don’t count. Because many of the people who live there don’t have money or health insurance to pay a doctor. That, or the location is not on anybody’s top-ten list of great places to live. And often both.
After I said my thank yous, I got one of the most wonderful surprises of my life. The school is building a brick courtyard/pathway to handle the traffic created by its new National Center for Primary Care. (Former Surgeon General David Satcher is heading it up.) In the courtyard and on the pathway, every single brick will bear the name of someone special. Not necessarily someone rich and famous and nationally celebrated. Someone loved. Someone prized and respected. Someone treasured. And guess whose names are going to be on the first three bricks that will be laid? My beloved sisters—Vivian, Barbara, and Jackie.
When Dr. Sullivan showed me those bricks and I saw their names on them, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Several years ago, when I got my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, I remember thinking, I wish my sisters could be here with me to share this moment and this honor. Looking at those bricks, I felt like these were my sisters’ stars on their walk of fame. And I couldn’t have been prouder.
Roasted Asparagus
This dish was on the menu at the Sullivans’ fabulous party. Once you taste it, you’re going to be glad asparagus is available practically year round.
Makes 6 servings
2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper
Trying to hold back tears as Dr. Sullivan presents me with the Bricks. If you look real closely you can see my sisters’ names. (Photo by Horace Henry)
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Spread the asparagus on a large baking sheet and coat with fat-free cooking spray, shaking to coat completely.
Roast until the asparagus is just tender, about 5 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, shaking to distribute evenly.
Option: If you want to go all out, sprinkle the roasted asparagus with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese.
Patti’s Pointers: To trim asparagus, hold one or two spears in your hands and bend the stalk. It will naturally break at the point where it becomes tough. If you want a touch more flavor, sprinkle the roasted asparagus with the grated zest of 1 lemon.
Per Serving: 35 calories, 4 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g dietary fiber, 210 mg sodium
Diet Exchanges: 1 vegetable or ½ carbohydrate choice
Succotash Supreme
This makes a great side dish to the veal meat loaf on page 84.
Makes 6 servings
1 tablespoon margarine
1 small white onion, chopped
One 10-ounce package frozen lima beans
½ cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon ham-flavored seasoning, such as Goya
⅛ teaspoon paprika
2 cups fresh or frozen yellow corn
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Melt the margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until very tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the lima beans, broth, ham-flavored seasoning, and paprika. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 5 minutes.
Stir in the corn and parsley and cook until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes more.
Patti’s Pointers: Fresh corn really makes this dish special (you’ll need about 4 medium ears of corn). To scrape the kernels from the cob, stand the cobs upright in a shallow bowl and cut off a few rows of kernels at a time. When the kernels are removed, run the dull side of the knife down the length of the cob all the way around to extract the “milk.” Add the “milk” along with the corn kernels.
Per Serving: 120 calories, 5 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g dietary fiber, 130 mg sodium
Diet Exchanges: 1 starch or 1 carbohydrate choice
Simply Wonderful Squash and Sweet Onions
Makes 6 servings
1 tablespoon margarine
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, sliced and separated into rings
2 pounds yellow squash, rinsed and thinly sliced
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground white or black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano and/or basil
Melt the margarine in a large deep skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the squash, salt, and pepper. Cook until the squash is tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the oregano and/or basil.
Per Serving: 50 calories, 2 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber, 320 mg sodium
Diet Exchanges: 2 vegetables or ½ carbohydrate choice
Sweet ’n’ Spicy Baby Carrots
Thanks to the flavors of brown sugar, allspice, and nutmeg, even kids will eat these carrots.
Makes 4 servings
¼ cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
One 1-pound bag baby carrots
1 tablespoon margarine
2 tablespoons brown sugar replacement, like Brown Sugar Twin
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Bring the broth to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the margarine, brown sugar replacement, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Patti’s Pointers: Cooking carrots for a few minutes helps to release their beta-carotene and make the nutrient more available to your body.
Per Serving: 70 calories, 1 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g dietary fiber, 270 mg sodium
Diet Exchanges: 2 vegetables, 1 fat, or ½ carbohydrate choice
Roasted Broccoli Florets with Garlic “Butter” Sauce
Makes 8 servings
2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
⅓ cup plus ½ cup fat-free reduced-sodium chi
cken broth, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
One ½-ounce packet fat-free butter-flavored mix, such as Butter Buds
(about 3 tablespoons)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Heat a large, deep, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the broccoli and ⅓ cup of the broth. Immediately cover the pan and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green and almost crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the oil, garlic, salt, white or black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Transfer the pan to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the broccoli is crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining ½ cup broth in a microwave-safe cup until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Dissolve the butter-flavored mix in the broth. Pour over the broccoli and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving dish if desired and serve immediately.
Patti’s Pointers: If you don’t have a deep ovenproof skillet (one with metal handles), cook the broccoli in a saucepan or wok, then transfer it to a shallow roasting pan. And to quickly cut a head of broccoli into florets, cut off the stalk crosswise as close to the bottom layer of florets as possible, cutting through the small stems that attach the florets to the stalk. The bottom layer of florets will fall away from the stalk. Continue making crosswise cuts across the small stems that attach the remaining layers of florets to the stalk.